In 1991, Levi Strauss & Co. became the first multinational apparel company to launch a comprehensive code of conduct for all contract factories and licensees, known as the 'Terms of Engagement'. The code set out ethical standards, legal and environmental requirements, and addressed issues like child and forced labor, working hours, and discrimination. This was a landmark moment for corporate social responsibility in the fashion industry.

The establishment of the 'Terms of Engagement' code resonated with the themes of social justice and ethical consumption that have become central to contemporary poetry, from the work of activist poets to the ecopoets. The code's focus on labor rights and working conditions has been explored by poets like Julia Alvarez and Carolyn Forché, who write about the human cost of global production. This event also reflected a growing awareness of the interconnectedness of the global economy, a theme that has permeated poetry of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.